HVK Archives: U.S. deports Hamas leader to Jorden
U.S. deports Hamas leader to Jorden - The Hindustan Times
New York Times
()
7 May 1997
Title : U.S. deports Hamas leader to Jorden
Author : New York Times
Publication : The Hindustan Times
Date : May 7, 1997
Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, the political leader of the Hamas movement jailed in
Manhattan for 22 months on suspicion of terrorism, was deported on Monday and
flown to Jordan aboard a U.S. military jet.
His release ended what had become an embarrassing case for both the United States
and Israel. Both nations had sought to keep him in jail, but did not come up with
persuasive evidence of his complicity in a series of violent attacks by Hamas.
In an unusual agreement, Abu Marzook relinquished his permanent residence status
in the U.S. and said he would not contest the terrorism accusations that had
prompted his initial detention. In exchange, the U.S. released him from solitary
confinement and allowed him to go to Jordan.
Abu Marzook was detained in July 1995 at Kennedy Airport because his name was on
an American "watch list" of people suspected of terrorist activities. He was
never linked to any specific terrorist act, and he insisted that his fund-raising
activities were separate from Hamas attacks.
His release came after complicated negotiations between his lawyers and the U.S.
Immigration and Naturalisation Service over how the allegations would be handled.
Under the agreement signed April 25, both sides agreed to withhold comment until
he arrived in Jordan, which announced last week that it would accept him.
Soon after his detention, Israel requested his extradition, saying it wanted to
try him on charges of helping raise money and mastermind a series of bloody
attacks.
Back
Top
|
